Recently, the number of information items displayed in a vehicular display device has increased. The number of components, such as an air-conditioner or an airbag, installed in a dashboard has also increased, in addition to the display device. Therefore, the display device is required to become smaller.
Thus, the display device needs to simultaneously achieve two requirements of increasing the number of information items or kinds to display and of becoming small; the two requirements conflict with each other.
To achieve these requirements, Patent Document 1 discloses a display device that includes a pointer instrument and a displaying unit, which displays given information to a viewer. At least pointer's tip portion of the pointer instrument is exposed outside of the displaying unit, i.e., a part of the pointer is visible outside of an outer circumference of the displaying unit.                Patent Document 1: JP-2003-294499 A        
This display device effectively uses an inward area of the viewer-side surface of the pointer instrument. This inward area is not conventionally used to install anything.
In this display device, the displaying unit overlaps with the pointer instrument in a viewing direction from the viewer. The displaying unit looks protruding from a connection portion between the pointer instrument and the viewer to not prevent the pointer from rotating. The connection portion is used for the displaying unit to fix to the pointer instrument. The connection portion is part of the outer circumference of the displaying unit. The connection portion extends in approximately parallel with a dial plate of the pointer instrument.
Thus, the display unit does not look separated from the pointer instrument when the viewer sees the vehicular display device. The connection portion, by which the displaying unit is fixed to the pointer instrument, is very clearly seen from the viewer.
This involves a problem that the vehicular display device lacks aesthetic cosmetic appearance.